Beadle's About: Difference between revisions
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'''''Beadle's About''''' was a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[television program]]me hosted by [[Jeremy Beadle]], where members of the public became victims of [[practical joke]]s behind [[hidden camera]]s. It was produced by [[London Weekend Television|LWT |
'''''Beadle's About''''' was a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[television program]]me hosted by [[Jeremy Beadle]], where members of the public became victims of [[practical joke]]s behind [[hidden camera]]s. It was produced by [[London Weekend Television|LWT]]and by the [[BBC]] for [[BBC1]], and ran from [[1990]] to [[1996]]. |
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An example of one of the practical jokes would involve a person's [[automobile|car]] or [[van]] secretly being swapped for an identical one, and then having a disaster befall on it, such as it [[explosion|exploding]], falling into the [[sea]], or being dropped from a great height, as the owner of the vehicle looked on in horror. After a few minutes Beadle would appear in disguise (typically as a Policeman or some other figure of authority), and interact with the shell-shocked and / or irate victim. He would subtly drop more and more hints, until the person finally caught on what was going on, at which point he would remove his disguise and point a stick [[microphone]] at the person. As the public were familiar with Beadle from the earlier show [[Game for a Laugh]], they would then immediately realise they had been had, often with the words "I don't believe it!". However, one infamous prank targeted a woman who was at a wedding, and was then destroyed. After Beadle removed his disguise and pointed the microphone at her, the woman ignored him and asked him to leave her alone, until a friend explained it was "Jeremy Beadle off the television". |
An example of one of the practical jokes would involve a person's [[automobile|car]] or [[van]] secretly being swapped for an identical one, and then having a disaster befall on it, such as it [[explosion|exploding]], falling into the [[sea]], or being dropped from a great height, as the owner of the vehicle looked on in horror. After a few minutes Beadle would appear in disguise (typically as a Policeman or some other figure of authority), and interact with the shell-shocked and / or irate victim. He would subtly drop more and more hints, until the person finally caught on what was going on, at which point he would remove his disguise and point a stick [[microphone]] at the person. As the public were familiar with Beadle from the earlier show [[Game for a Laugh]], they would then immediately realise they had been had, often with the words "I don't believe it!". However, one infamous prank targeted a woman who was at a wedding, and was then destroyed. After Beadle removed his disguise and pointed the microphone at her, the woman ignored him and asked him to leave her alone, until a friend explained it was "Jeremy Beadle off the television". |
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As the series went on, the practical jokes became more and more intricately planned out, often with a huge, bigger budgeted prank at the start and / or end of the current series (possibly the most memorable being one where a woman was convinced into believing that aliens had landed in her garden). Very seldom were the pranks rumbled, with one of the only instances being in the early 1990s when a woman returned from shopping to find her red [[Ford Fiesta]] in amongst a car park full of identical cars. She instantly guessed it was a ''Beadle's About'' prank and the ruse had to be abandoned (the footage was never broadcast). |
As the series went on, the practical jokes became more and more intricately planned out, often with a huge, bigger budgeted prank at the start and / or end of the current series (possibly the most memorable being one where a woman was convinced into believing that aliens had landed in her garden). Very seldom were the pranks rumbled, with one of the only instances being in the early 1990s when a woman returned from shopping to find her red [[Ford Fiesta]] in amongst a car park full of identical cars. She instantly guessed it was a ''Beadle's About'' prank and the ruse had to be abandoned (the footage was never broadcast). |
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At its peak, the show attracted approximately 15 million viewers, making it one of the [[BBC's most popular Weeknight programmes during that period. In [[1993]], a man was arrested for trying to pull the beard off a [[police]]man, thinking it was Jeremy Beadle in disguise in [[Coventry]].[http://web.archive.org/web/20041118214355/offthetelly.co.uk/lightentertainment/glorygame/part21.htm] |
At its peak, the show attracted approximately 15 million viewers, making it one of the [[BBC's most popular Weeknight programmes during that period.The series was recorded at [[BBC Pebble Mill]]. In [[1993]], a man was arrested for trying to pull the beard off a [[police]]man, thinking it was Jeremy Beadle in disguise in [[Coventry]].[http://web.archive.org/web/20041118214355/offthetelly.co.uk/lightentertainment/glorygame/part21.htm] |
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British digital channel [[Ftn]] currently show ''The Best of Beadle's About''. |
British digital channel [[Ftn]] currently show ''The Best of Beadle's About''. |
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Revision as of 22:22, 30 September 2007
| Beadle's About | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Jeremy Beadle |
| Production | |
| Producer | LWT/BBC Birmingham |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC1 |
| Release | 1990 – 1996 |
Beadle's About was a British television programme hosted by Jeremy Beadle, where members of the public became victims of practical jokes behind hidden cameras. It was produced by LWTand by the BBC for BBC1, and ran from 1990 to 1996.
An example of one of the practical jokes would involve a person's car or van secretly being swapped for an identical one, and then having a disaster befall on it, such as it exploding, falling into the sea, or being dropped from a great height, as the owner of the vehicle looked on in horror. After a few minutes Beadle would appear in disguise (typically as a Policeman or some other figure of authority), and interact with the shell-shocked and / or irate victim. He would subtly drop more and more hints, until the person finally caught on what was going on, at which point he would remove his disguise and point a stick microphone at the person. As the public were familiar with Beadle from the earlier show Game for a Laugh, they would then immediately realise they had been had, often with the words "I don't believe it!". However, one infamous prank targeted a woman who was at a wedding, and was then destroyed. After Beadle removed his disguise and pointed the microphone at her, the woman ignored him and asked him to leave her alone, until a friend explained it was "Jeremy Beadle off the television".
Other stunts involved trainee workers having to cope with problems while the manager was away, such as in a bed shop where an overweight family would break all the beds by sitting on them, or a launderette where all the washing machines would malfunction, flooding the building.
The "Bleep" or "Oops" bubble used to block out offensive language was a well known feature from the show. The bubbles were simply clouds with either "Bleep" or "Oops" in them, the text being set in a font looking similar to the 'Balloon' typeface.
As the series went on, the practical jokes became more and more intricately planned out, often with a huge, bigger budgeted prank at the start and / or end of the current series (possibly the most memorable being one where a woman was convinced into believing that aliens had landed in her garden). Very seldom were the pranks rumbled, with one of the only instances being in the early 1990s when a woman returned from shopping to find her red Ford Fiesta in amongst a car park full of identical cars. She instantly guessed it was a Beadle's About prank and the ruse had to be abandoned (the footage was never broadcast).
At its peak, the show attracted approximately 15 million viewers, making it one of the [[BBC's most popular Weeknight programmes during that period.The series was recorded at BBC Pebble Mill. In 1993, a man was arrested for trying to pull the beard off a policeman, thinking it was Jeremy Beadle in disguise in Coventry.[1]
British digital channel Ftn currently show The Best of Beadle's About.
Return of Beadle's About format
On 9 August, 2007 it was rumoured that there have been talks of the Beadle's About format returning, with Comedian Harry Hill taking the main role. [2] These talks have since been denied by the BBC.